Metal-semiconductor alloy region for enhancing on current in a three-dimensional memory structure

ABSTRACT

Resistance of a semiconductor channel in three-dimensional memory stack structures can be reduced by forming a metal-semiconductor alloy region between a vertical semiconductor channel and a horizontal semiconductor channel located within a substrate. The metal-semiconductor alloy region can be formed by recessing a portion of the semiconductor material layer in the semiconductor substrate underneath a memory opening after formation of a memory film, selectively depositing a metallic material in the recess region, depositing a vertical semiconductor channel, and reacting the deposited metallic material with an adjacent portion of the semiconductor material layer and the vertical semiconductor channel. A sacrificial dielectric material layer can be formed on the memory film prior to the selective deposition of the metallic material. The vertical semiconductor channel can be formed in a single deposition process, thereby eliminating any interface therein and minimizing the resistance of the vertical semiconductor channel.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of semiconductordevices and specifically to three-dimensional memory structures, such asvertical NAND strings and other three-dimensional devices, and methodsof making thereof.

BACKGROUND

Three-dimensional vertical NAND strings having one bit per cell aredisclosed in an article by T. Endoh, et. al., titled “Novel Ultra HighDensity Memory With A Stacked-Surrounding Gate Transistor (S-SGT)Structured Cell”, IEDM Proc. (2001) 33-36.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a monolithicthree-dimensional memory device, comprises a substrate including asemiconductor material, a stack of alternating layers comprisinginsulator layers and electrically conductive layers located over thesemiconductor material of the substrate, a memory opening extendingthrough the stack, a semiconductor channel located within the memoryopening, and a memory film located within the memory opening. Ametal-semiconductor alloy region is located between and contacts thesemiconductor material of the substrate and the semiconductor channel.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method ofmanufacturing a three-dimensional structure is provided. A stack ofalternating layers comprising first material layers and second materiallayers is formed over a substrate that includes a semiconductormaterial. A memory opening extending through the stack is formed. Amemory film is formed in the memory opening. At least one metallicmaterial is formed on the semiconductor material of the substrate. Asemiconductor channel is formed in the memory opening. Ametal-semiconductor alloy region is formed by reacting the at least onemetallic material with a portion of the semiconductor material of thesubstrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an exemplary structureafter formation of an alternating stack of first material layers andsecond material layers and an insulating cap layer according to a firstembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the exemplary structureafter formation of memory openings according to the first embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIGS. 3A-3H are sequential vertical cross-sectional views of a memoryopening within the exemplary structure during various processing stepsemployed to form a first exemplary memory stack structure according to afirst embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3I is a vertical cross-sectional view of a first alternativeembodiment of the first exemplary memory stack structure.

FIG. 3J is a vertical cross-sectional view of a second alternativeembodiment of the first exemplary memory stack structure.

FIGS. 4A-4F are sequential vertical cross-sectional views of a memoryopening within the exemplary structure during various processing stepsemployed to form a second exemplary memory stack structure according toa second embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are sequential vertical cross-sectional views of amemory opening within the exemplary structure during various processingsteps employed to form a third exemplary memory stack structureaccording to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the exemplary structureafter formation of memory stack structures according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the exemplary structureafter formation of a stepped terrace and a retro-stepped dielectricmaterial portion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the exemplary structureafter formation of a backside via cavity and backside recesses accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8B is a see-through top-down view of the exemplary structure ofFIG. 8A. The vertical plane A-A′ is the plane of the verticalcross-sectional view of FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the exemplary structureafter formation of backside recesses according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the exemplary structureafter formation of the electrically conductive lines according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the exemplary structureafter formation of a backside insulator spacer and a backside contactvia structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As discussed above, the present disclosure is directed tothree-dimensional memory structures, such as vertical NAND strings andother three-dimensional devices, and methods of making thereof, thevarious aspects of which are described below. The embodiments of thedisclosure can be employed to form various structures including amultilevel memory structure, non-limiting examples of which includesemiconductor devices such as three-dimensional monolithic memory arraydevices comprising a plurality of NAND memory strings. The drawings arenot drawn to scale. Multiple instances of an element may be duplicatedwhere a single instance of the element is illustrated, unless absence ofduplication of elements is expressly described or clearly indicatedotherwise. Ordinals such as “first,” “second,” and “third” are employedmerely to identify similar elements, and different ordinals may beemployed across the specification and the claims of the instantdisclosure. As used herein, a first element located “on” a secondelement can be located on the exterior side of a surface of the secondelement or on the interior side of the second element. As used herein, afirst element is located “directly on” a second element if there exist aphysical contact between a surface of the first element and a surface ofthe second element.

A monolithic three-dimensional memory array is one in which multiplememory levels are formed above a single substrate, such as asemiconductor wafer, with no intervening substrates. The term“monolithic” means that layers of each level of the array are directlydeposited on the layers of each underlying level of the array. Incontrast, two dimensional arrays may be formed separately and thenpackaged together to form a non-monolithic memory device. For example,non-monolithic stacked memories have been constructed by forming memorylevels on separate substrates and vertically stacking the memory levels,as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,167 titled “Three-dimensionalStructure Memory.” The substrates may be thinned or removed from thememory levels before bonding, but as the memory levels are initiallyformed over separate substrates, such memories are not true monolithicthree-dimensional memory arrays. The various three-dimensional memorydevices of the present disclosure include a monolithic three-dimensionalNAND string memory device, and can be fabricated employing the variousembodiments described herein.

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary structure according to an embodimentof the present disclosure is illustrated, which can be employed, forexample, to fabricate a device structure containing vertical NAND memorydevices. The exemplary structure includes a substrate, which can be asemiconductor substrate, such as a semiconductor (e.g., silicon) wafer.The substrate can include a substrate semiconductor layer 9. Thesubstrate semiconductor layer 9 is a semiconductor material layer or atop portion of the semiconductor wafer (i.e., the term “layer” includesbut is not limited to a semiconductor thin film deposited over asubstrate). The substrate semiconductor layer 9 can include at least oneelemental semiconductor material (e.g., silicon), at least one III-Vcompound semiconductor material, at least one II-VI compoundsemiconductor material, at least one organic semiconductor material, orother semiconductor materials known in the art. The substrate can have amajor surface 7, which can be, for example, a topmost surface of thesubstrate semiconductor layer 9. The major surface 7 can be asemiconductor surface. In one embodiment, the major surface 7 can be asingle crystalline semiconductor surface.

As used herein, a “semiconductor material” refers to a material havingelectrical conductivity in the range from 1.0×10⁻⁶ S/cm to 1.0×10⁵ S/cm,and is capable of producing a doped material having electricalresistivity in a range from 1.0 S/cm to 1.0×10⁵ S/cm upon suitabledoping with an electrical dopant. As used herein, an “electrical dopant”refers to a p-type dopant that adds a hole to a valence band within aband structure, or an n-type dopant that adds an electron to aconduction band within a band structure. As used herein, a “conductivematerial” refers to a material having electrical conductivity greaterthan 1.0×10⁵ S/cm. As used herein, an “insulator material” or a“dielectric material” refers to a material having electricalconductivity less than 1.0×10⁻⁶ S/cm. All measurements for electricalconductivities are made at the standard condition. Optionally, at leastone doped well (not expressly shown) can be formed within the substratesemiconductor layer 9.

At least one semiconductor device for a peripheral circuitry can beformed in a region of the exemplary structure, which is herein referredto as a peripheral device region 200. The at least one semiconductordevice can include, for example, field effect transistors. For example,at least one shallow trench isolation structure 120 can be formed byetching portions of the substrate semiconductor layer 9 and depositing adielectric material therein. A gate dielectric layer, at least one gateconductor layer, and a gate cap dielectric layer can be formed over thesubstrate semiconductor layer 9, and can be subsequently patterned toform at least one gate structure (150, 152, 154, 158), each of which caninclude a gate dielectric 150, at least one gate electrode (152, 154),and a gate cap dielectric 158. A gate electrode (152, 154) may include astack of a first gate electrode portion 152 and a second gate electrodeportion 154. At least one gate spacer 156 can be formed around the atleast one gate structure (150, 152, 154, 158) by depositing andanisotropically etching a conformal dielectric layer.

Active regions 130 can be formed in upper portions of the substratesemiconductor layer 9, for example, by introducing electrical dopantsemploying the at least one gate structure (150, 152, 154, 158) asmasking structures. Additional masks may be employed as needed. Theactive region 130 can include source regions and drain regions of fieldeffect transistors. A first dielectric liner 161 and a second dielectricliner 162 can be optionally formed. Each of the first and seconddielectric liners (161, 162) can comprise a silicon oxide layer, asilicon nitride layer, and/or a dielectric metal oxide layer. In anillustrative example, the first dielectric liner 161 can be a siliconoxide layer, and the second dielectric liner 162 can be a siliconnitride layer. The least one semiconductor device for the peripheralcircuitry can contain a driver circuit for memory devices to besubsequently formed, which can include at least one NAND device.

As used herein, a dielectric metal oxide refers to a dielectric materialthat includes at least one metal element and at least oxygen. Thedielectric metal oxide may consist essentially of the at least one metalelement and oxygen, or may consist essentially of the at least one metalelement, oxygen, and at least one non-metal element such as nitrogen.Dielectric metal oxide can have a dielectric constant greater than 7.9,i.e., can have a dielectric constant greater than the dielectricconstant of silicon nitride. Non-limiting examples of dielectric metaloxides include aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), hafnium oxide (HfO₂), lanthanumoxide (LaO₂), yttrium oxide (Y₂O₃), tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅), silicatesthereof, nitrogen-doped compounds thereof, alloys thereof, and stacksthereof. Dielectric metal oxides can be deposited, for example, bychemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), pulsedlaser deposition (PLD), liquid source misted chemical deposition, or acombination thereof.

A dielectric material such as silicon oxide can be deposited over the atleast one semiconductor device, and can be subsequently planarized toform a planarization dielectric layer 170. In one embodiment theplanarized top surface of the planarization dielectric layer 170 can becoplanar with a top surface of the dielectric liners (161, 162).Subsequently, the planarization dielectric layer 170 and the dielectricliners (161, 162) can be removed from an area to physically expose a topsurface of the substrate semiconductor layer 9.

The exemplary structure further includes a device region 100 in which anarray of memory stack structures is to be subsequently formed, and acontact region 300 in which stepped surfaces of electrically conductivelayers and contact via structures are to be subsequently formed. Anoptional semiconductor material layer 10 can be formed in the deviceregion 100 and the contact region 300. The optional semiconductormaterial layer 10 can be formed on the top surface of the substratesemiconductor layer 9 by deposition of a single crystallinesemiconductor material, for example, by selective epitaxy. The depositedsemiconductor material can be the same as, or can be different from, thesemiconductor material of the substrate semiconductor layer 9. Thedeposited semiconductor material can be any material that can beemployed for the semiconductor substrate layer 9 as described above. Thesingle crystalline semiconductor material of the semiconductor materiallayer 10 can be in epitaxial alignment with the single crystallinestructure of the substrate semiconductor layer 9. Portions of thedeposited semiconductor material located above the top surface of theplanarization dielectric layer 70 can be removed, for example, bychemical mechanical planarization (CMP). In this case, the semiconductormaterial layer 10 can have a top surface that is coplanar with the topsurface of the planarization dielectric layer 170. As used herein, theoptional semiconductor material layer 10 comprises a portion of thesubstrate, and may comprises a semiconductor thin film deposited overthe substrate semiconductor layer 9 (e.g., over a semiconductor wafer)and/or or an ion implanted well in the substrate semiconductor layer 9having the same or opposite conductivity type to the source and drainregions of the memory device that will be described below (i.e., theterm “layer 10” includes but is not limited to a semiconductor thin filmdeposited over the substrate).

In embodiments in which the semiconductor material layer 10 is notformed, the substrate semiconductor layer 9 can performed the functionof the semiconductor layer 10. Accordingly, while the present disclosureis described employing an embodiment in which the semiconductor materiallayer 10 is present, embodiments are expressly contemplated herein inwhich the substrate semiconductor layer 9 is employed in lieu of thesemiconductor layer 10.

A dielectric liner (not shown) can be optionally formed above thesemiconductor material layer 10 and optionally above the planarizationdielectric layer 170. The dielectric liner, if present, can be, forexample, silicon oxide layer or a dielectric metal oxide layer. Thedielectric liner can be formed by conversion of a surface portion of asemiconductor material within a semiconductor substrate (9, 10) (such asa surface portion of the semiconductor material layer 10), and/or bydeposition of a dielectric material, for example, by chemical vapordeposition (CVD) and/or atomic layer deposition.

A stack of an alternating plurality of first material layers (which canbe insulator layers 32) and second material layers (which can be spacermaterial layers 42) is formed over the top surface of the substrate. Asused herein, an alternating plurality of first elements and secondelements refers to a structure in which instances of the first elementsand instances of the second elements alternate. Each instance of thefirst elements that is not an end element of the alternating pluralityis adjoined by two instances of the second elements on both sides, andeach instance of the second elements that is not an end element of thealternating plurality is adjoined by two instances of the first elementson both ends. The first elements may have the same thicknessthereamongst, or may have different thicknesses. The second elements mayhave the same thickness thereamongst, or may have different thicknesses.The alternating plurality of first material layers and second materiallayers may begin with an instance of the first material layers or withan instance of the second material layers, and may end with an instanceof the first material layers or with an instance of the second materiallayers. In one embodiment, an instance of the first elements and aninstance of the second elements may form a unit that is repeated withperiodicity within the alternating plurality.

Each first material layer includes a first material, and each secondmaterial layer includes a second material that is different from thefirst material. In one embodiment, each first material layer can be aninsulator layer 32, and each second material layer (i.e., each spacermaterial layer 42) can be a sacrificial material layer. In this case,the stack can include an alternating plurality of insulator layers 32and spacer material layers 42 that include a sacrificial material.

The stack of the alternating plurality is herein referred to as analternating stack (32, 42). In one embodiment, the alternating stack(32, 42) can include insulator layers 32 composed of the first material,and spacer material layers 42 composed of a second material differentfrom that of insulator layers 32. The first material of the insulatorlayers 32 can be at least one electrically insulating material. As such,each insulator layer 32 can be an electrically insulating materiallayer. Electrically insulating materials that can be employed for theinsulator layers 32 include, but are not limited to, silicon oxide(including doped or undoped silicate glass), silicon nitride, siliconoxynitride, organosilicate glass (OSG), spin-on dielectric materials,dielectric metal oxides that are commonly known as high dielectricconstant (high-k) dielectric oxides (e.g., aluminum oxide, hafniumoxide, etc.) and silicates thereof, dielectric metal oxynitrides andsilicates thereof, and organic insulating materials. In one embodiment,the first material of the insulator layers 32 can be silicon oxide.

The second material of the spacer material layers 42 is a sacrificialmaterial that can be removed selective to the first material of theinsulator layers 32. As used herein, a removal of a first material is“selective to” a second material if the removal process removes thefirst material at a rate that is at least twice the rate of removal ofthe second material. The ratio of the rate of removal of the firstmaterial to the rate of removal of the second material is hereinreferred to as a “selectivity” of the removal process for the firstmaterial with respect to the second material.

The spacer material layers 42 may comprise an electrically insulatingmaterial, a semiconductor material, or a conductive material. The secondmaterial of the spacer material layers 42 can be subsequently replacedwith electrically conductive electrodes which can function, for example,as control gate electrodes of a vertical NAND device. Non-limitingexamples of the second material include silicon nitride, an amorphoussemiconductor material (such as amorphous silicon), and apolycrystalline semiconductor material (such as polysilicon). In oneembodiment, the spacer material layers 42 can be material layers thatcomprise silicon nitride or a semiconductor material including at leastone of silicon and germanium.

In one embodiment, the insulator layers 32 can include silicon oxide,and sacrificial material layers can include silicon nitride sacrificialmaterial layers. The first material of the insulator layers 32 can bedeposited, for example, by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). For example,if silicon oxide is employed for the insulator layers 32, tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) can be employed as the precursor material for theCVD process. The second material of the spacer material layers 42 can beformed, for example, CVD or atomic layer deposition (ALD).

The spacer material layers 42 can be suitably patterned so thatconductive material portions to be subsequently formed by replacement ofthe spacer material layers 42 can function as electrically conductiveelectrodes, such as the control gate electrodes of the monolithicthree-dimensional NAND string memory devices to be subsequently formed.The spacer material layers 42 may comprise a portion having a stripshape extending substantially parallel to the major surface 7 of thesubstrate.

The thicknesses of the insulator layers 32 and the spacer materiallayers 42 can be in a range from 20 nm to 50 nm, although lesser andgreater thicknesses can be employed for each insulator layer 32 and foreach spacer material layer 42. The number of repetitions of the pairs ofan insulator layer 32 and a sacrificial material layer (e.g., a controlgate electrode or a sacrificial material layer) 42 can be in a rangefrom 2 to 1,024, and typically from 8 to 256, although a greater numberof repetitions can also be employed. The top and bottom gate electrodesin the stack may function as the select gate electrodes. In oneembodiment, each spacer material layer 42 in the alternating stack (32,42) can have a uniform thickness that is substantially invariant withineach respective spacer material layer 42.

Optionally, an insulating cap layer 70 can be formed over thealternating stack (32, 42). The insulating cap layer 70 includes adielectric material that is different from the material of the spacermaterial layers 42. In one embodiment, the insulating cap layer 70 caninclude a dielectric material that can be employed for the insulatorlayers 32 as described above. The insulating cap layer 70 can have agreater thickness than each of the insulator layers 32. The insulatingcap layer 70 can be deposited, for example, by chemical vapordeposition. In one embodiment, the insulating cap layer 70 can be asilicon oxide layer.

Referring to FIG. 2, a lithographic material stack (not shown) includingat least a photoresist layer can be formed over the insulating cap layer70 and the alternating stack (32, 42), and can be lithographicallypatterned to form openings therein. The pattern in the lithographicmaterial stack can be transferred through the insulating cap layer 70and through entirety of the alternating stack (32, 42) by at least oneanisotropic etch that employs the patterned lithographic material stackas an etch mask. Portions of the alternating stack (32, 42) underlyingthe openings in the patterned lithographic material stack are etched toform memory openings 49. In other words, the transfer of the pattern inthe patterned lithographic material stack through the alternating stack(32, 42) forms the memory openings 49 that extend through thealternating stack (32, 42). The chemistry of the anisotropic etchprocess employed to etch through the materials of the alternating stack(32, 42) can alternate to optimize etching of the first and secondmaterials in the alternating stack (32, 42). The anisotropic etch canbe, for example, a series of reactive ion etches. In one embodiment, theetch chemistry can employ a hydrofluorocarbon based etchant gas or ahydrochlorocarbon based etchant gas. The memory openings 49 can beformed as a two-dimensional array.

A memory stack structure can be formed in each of the memory openingemploying various embodiments of the present disclosure. Formation ofmemory stack structures can be simultaneously performed within each ofthe memory openings 49 in the exemplary structure illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIGS. 3A-3H illustrate sequential vertical cross-sectional views of amemory opening within the exemplary structure during formation of afirst exemplary memory stack structure according to a first embodimentof the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 3A, a memory opening 49after the processing steps of FIG. 2 is illustrated. The memory opening49 extends through the insulating cap layer 70 and the alternating stack(32, 42), and into an upper portion of the substrate (9, 10). The bottomsurface of the memory opening 49 can be coplanar with the top surface ofthe semiconductor material layer 10.

Referring to FIG. 3B, a layer stack including at least one blockingdielectric layer 502, a memory material layer 504, a tunnelingdielectric layer 506, and an optional sacrificial dielectric materiallayer 507 can be sequentially deposited in the memory openings 49. Inone embodiment, each of the at least one blocking dielectric layer 502,the memory material layer 504, the tunneling dielectric layer 506, andthe sacrificial dielectric material layer 507 can be deposited by aconformal deposition method such as atomic layer deposition or chemicalvapor deposition. The at least one blocking dielectric layer 502 caninclude a single blocking dielectric layer or a layered stack of aplurality of blocking dielectric layers.

The at least one blocking dielectric layer 502 can be deposited on thesidewalls of each memory opening 49 by a conformal deposition method.The at least one blocking dielectric layer 502 includes a dielectricmaterial, which can be silicon oxide and/or a dielectric metal oxide. Inone embodiment, the at least one blocking dielectric layer 502 caninclude a stack including, from outside to inside, a dielectric metaloxide layer and a silicon oxide layer. In one embodiment, the dielectricmetal oxide layer can be an aluminum oxide layer. The thickness of theat least one blocking dielectric layer 502 can be in a range from 3 nmto 12 nm, although lesser and greater thicknesses can also be employed.

In one embodiment, the memory material layer 504 can be a chargetrapping material including a dielectric charge trapping material, whichcan be, for example, silicon nitride. Alternatively, the memory materiallayer 504 can include a conductive material such as doped polysilicon ora metallic material that is patterned into multiple electricallyisolated portions (e.g., floating gates), for example, by being formedwithin lateral recesses into spacer material layers 42. In oneembodiment, the memory material layer 504 includes a silicon nitridelayer.

The memory material layer 504 can be formed as a single memory materiallayer of homogeneous composition, or can include a stack of multiplememory material layers. The multiple memory material layers, ifemployed, can comprise a plurality of spaced-apart floating gatematerial layers that contain conductive materials (e.g., metal such astungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, titanium, platinum, ruthenium, andalloys thereof, or a metal silicide such as tungsten silicide,molybdenum silicide, tantalum silicide, titanium silicide, nickelsilicide, cobalt silicide, or a combination thereof) and/orsemiconductor materials (e.g., polycrystalline or amorphoussemiconductor material including at least one elemental semiconductorelement or at least one compound semiconductor material). Alternativelyor additionally, the memory material layer 504 may comprise aninsulating charge trapping material, such as one or more silicon nitridesegments. Alternatively, the memory material layer 504 may compriseconductive nanoparticles such as metal nanoparticles, which can be, forexample, ruthenium nanoparticles. The memory material layer 504 can beformed, for example, by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layerdeposition (ALD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), or any suitabledeposition technique for storing electrical charges therein. Thethickness of the memory material layer 504 can be in a range from 2 nmto 20 nm, although lesser and greater thicknesses can also be employed.

The tunneling dielectric layer 506 includes a dielectric materialthrough which charge tunneling can be performed under suitableelectrical bias conditions. The charge tunneling may be performedthrough hot-carrier injection or by Fowler-Nordheim tunneling inducedcharge transfer depending on the mode of operation of the monolithicthree-dimensional NAND string memory device to be formed. The tunnelingdielectric layer 506 can include silicon oxide, silicon nitride, siliconoxynitride, dielectric metal oxides (such as aluminum oxide and hafniumoxide), dielectric metal oxynitride, dielectric metal silicates, alloysthereof, and/or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the tunnelingdielectric layer 506 can include a stack of a first silicon oxide layer,a silicon oxynitride layer, and a second silicon oxide layer, which iscommonly known as an ONO stack. In one embodiment, the tunnelingdielectric layer 506 can include a silicon oxide layer that issubstantially free of carbon or a silicon oxynitride layer that issubstantially free of carbon. The thickness of the tunneling dielectriclayer 506 can be in a range from 2 nm to 20 nm, although lesser andgreater thicknesses can also be employed. The set of the at least oneblocking dielectric layer 502, the memory material layer 504, and thetunneling dielectric layer 506 collectively constitutes a memory film(502, 504, 506), which is a contiguous layer stack that overlies theinsulating cap layer 70 and including vertical portions that extendvertically into the memory openings 49 to cover all inner surfaces ofthe memory openings 49.

The optional sacrificial dielectric material layer 507, if present, isdeposited on the physically exposed surfaces of the tunneling dielectriclayer 506. The sacrificial dielectric material layer 507 includes amaterial that can protect the tunneling dielectric layer 506 duringsubsequent etch processes that vertically recesses the cavity 49′ withinthe memory opening 49. In one embodiment, the sacrificial dielectricmaterial layer 507 can comprise amorphous carbon and/or diamond-likecarbon (DLC), and can have a thickness in a range from 1 nm to 10 nm,although lesser and greater thicknesses can also be employed.

A sacrificial non-conformal material layer 508 can be deposited by ananisotropic deposition method. The sacrificial non-conformal materiallayer 508 can be deposited by a highly depletive deposition method thatdeposits a material at the topmost surface of the exemplary structure,while minimizing, or eliminating, deposition of the material on thevertical sidewall and the bottom surface of each cavity 49′. Thesacrificial non-conformal material layer 508 serves as a hard mask toprotect the part of layers 502, 504 and 506 which are located on the topsurface of the stack. Specifically, layer 508 protects layers 502, 504and 506 on top of the stack during the subsequent etching step at thebottom of the cavity 49′ shown in FIG. 3C. Preferably, layer 508 is onlydeposited over the top surface of the stack with no material present onthe sidewalls of the cavity 49′. Alternatively, some material of layer508 deposits on the sidewalls of the cavity 49′, especially near the topof the cavity 49′, as shown in FIG. 3B. In one embodiment, thesacrificial non-conformal material layer 508 can comprise a carbonlayer, such as an Advanced Patterning Film™ by Applied Materials, Inc.Each cavity 49′ is contiguously adjoined to the ambient above the topsurface of the sacrificial non-conformal material layer 508 by anopening within the sacrificial non-conformal material layer 508, throughwhich etchant ions can pass during a subsequent anisotropic etch processthat etches the horizontal portions of the layer stack (502, 504, 506,507) at the bottom of the memory opening 49.

Referring to FIG. 3C, an anisotropic etch can be performed to etch thehorizontal portions of the layer stack (502, 504, 506, 507) at thebottom of the memory opening 49. The sacrificial non-conformal materiallayer 508 and/or the sacrificial dielectric material layer 507 canprotect the tunneling dielectric layer 506, the memory material layer504, and the at least one blocking dielectric layer 502 from thereactive ions during the anisotropic etch. The anisotropic etch processis further continued to etch a portion of the semiconductor materiallayer 10 underneath the memory opening 49 to form a recess region 59. Ifthe semiconductor material layer 10 is omitted, then the recess regionextends into the substrate semiconductor layer 9. Optionally, theanisotropic etch process can employ different etch chemistries foretching of the horizontal portions of the layers (502, 504, 506, 507)and for etching the semiconductor material of the semiconductor materiallayer 10. The sacrificial non-conformal material layer 508, if present,can be employed as an etch mask during the anisotropic etch. Thesacrificial dielectric material layer 507 protects the memory film (502,504, 506) during the anisotropic etch. The depth of recess in the recessregion 59, i.e., the vertical distance between a horizontal interfacebetween the memory film (502, 504, 506) and the semiconductor materiallayer 10 (or layer 9 if layer 10 is omitted) and the bottom surface ofthe recess region 59, can be in a range from 10 nm to 100 nm (such asfrom 20 nm to 60 nm), although lesser and greater thicknesses can alsobe employed.

Referring to FIG. 3D, the sacrificial non-conformal material layer 508and the sacrificial dielectric material layer 507 can be removedselective to the memory film (502, 504, 506). In case the sacrificialnon-conformal material layer 508 and the sacrificial dielectric materiallayer 507 comprise carbon or carbon-based material, the sacrificialnon-conformal material layer 508 and the sacrificial dielectric materiallayer 507 can be removed by ashing. The lateral dimension of the cavity49′ between sidewalls of the memory film (502, 504, 506) can be in arange from 10 nm to 100 nm (such as from 20 nm to 60 nm), althoughlesser and greater lateral dimensions can also be employed. An opening49 a remains in the horizontal portion of the layers (502, 504, 506).

Referring to FIG. 3E, at least one metallic material can be deposited ona semiconductor material of the semiconductor material layer 10 in therecess region 59 while preventing depositing the at least one metallicmaterial over the stack. The deposition of the at least one metallicmaterial can be performed by a selective deposition process that inducesgrowth of the at least one metallic material from surfaces ofsemiconductor materials while inhibiting growth of the at least onemetallic material on dielectric surfaces. Thus, the at least onemetallic material can grow from the sidewalls and the bottom surface ofthe recess region 59, and does not grow from the dielectric surfaces ofthe tunneling dielectric layer 506. In case the memory film (502, 504,506) consists of dielectric materials, the at least one metallicmaterial does not grow from any surface of the memory film (502, 504,506).

The selectively deposited at least one metallic material forms ametallic material portion 13 located on the sidewalls and the bottomsurface of the recess region 506 within the semiconductor material layer10. The selectively deposited at least one metallic material forms ametallic material portion 13 that contacts the sidewalls and ahorizontal (i.e., bottom) surface of the semiconductor material layer 10in the recess region 59. In other words, the at least one metallicmaterial does not grow from a physically exposed surface of thetunneling dielectric layer 506 during selective deposition of the atleast one metallic material. In one embodiment, the selectivelydeposited at least one metallic material comprises one or more metalelement selected from tungsten, ruthenium, and cobalt.

Selective deposition of tungsten on semiconductor surfaces withoutdeposition on dielectric surfaces can be performed by a selectivechemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. For example, tungsten may beselectively deposited on exposed silicon only using a tungstenhexafluoride source gas for CVD. Using tungsten hexafluoride gas in aCVD process deposits tungsten on exposed silicon with no deposition onthe exposed oxide layers using the following reaction WF₆(g)+Si (solidsurface)=W (solid layer)+SiF₄(g). This reaction is self-limiting and canbe made to stop at any thickness between 5-30 nm by adjusting thedeposition temperature. The deposited tungsten layer may be the completemetal layer or it may be used as a seed layer to selectively deposit anadditional metal layer on its surface. The additional metal layer maycomprise tungsten deposited by a fluorine free source CVD process or byatomic layer deposition (“ALD”) process.

Selective deposition of ruthenium can be performed by an atomic layerdeposition process. Deposition of the ruthenium layer can be performedby ALD by supplying a volatile ruthenium precursor, such as RuO₄ into areaction chamber in which the exemplary structure is placed. One or moreRuO₂ monolayers may be formed using atomic layer deposition. The one ormore RuO₂ monolayers may be exposed to a reducing atmosphere to fullyreduce the deposited one or more RuO₂ monolayers to one or more Rumonolayers. The RuO₂ deposition and Ru reducing steps (i.e., 1 atomiclayer deposition cycle) may be repeated multiple times. A hydrogen basedforming gas, such as 2%-5% (such as 4%) hydrogen and 95%-98% (such as96%) nitrogen, may be supplied as the reducing atmosphere for theruthenium. In one embodiment, the atomic layer deposition is performedby cycling, such as with more than 25 cycles (such as 30 cycles-55cycles) to form a contiguous layer of Ru, i.e., a ruthenium layer thatgrows selectively from semiconductor surfaces and does not grow fromdielectric surfaces.

Deposition of cobalt can be performed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD)or atomic layer deposition (ALD). Chemical vapor deposition or atomiclayer deposition of cobalt employs a cobalt precursor that can be easilyvaporized to leave high-purity cobalt on a surface without causingsurface damage. In one embodiment, an organometallic compound withrelatively high vapor pressures and good thermal stability can beemployed as the cobalt precursor gas to deposit cobalt without requiringhydrogen. In a non-limiting example, bis(cyclopentadienyl)cobalt,bis(ethylcyclopentadienyl)cobalt, bis(ethylcyclopentadienyl)cobalt, orbis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)cobalt can be employed as a cobaltprecursor gas in a CVD or ALD process. Alternatively, differentprecursor gases (such as Co₂(CO)₈) can also be employed for cobaltdeposition.

Nucleation of cobalt requires a metallic surface or a semiconductorsurface. Thus, cobalt grows only from the semiconductor surfaces of therecess region 59, and do not grow from the surfaces of the tunnelingdielectric layer 506. Depending on process conditions, the selectivityof cobalt deposition may be limited, and as the thickness of depositedcobalt increases (for example, above 7 nm), islands of cobalt may beginto nucleate on the surfaces of the tunneling dielectric layer 506.

The thickness of the metallic material portion 13, as measured on thesidewalls and the bottom surface of the recess region 59, can be in arange from 2 nm to 20 nm (for example, from 4 nm to 10 nm), althoughlesser and greater thicknesses can also be employed. In one embodiment,the recess region 59 may not be completely filled with the metallicmaterial portion 13, and thus, may contain an unfilled volume that is anextension of the cavity 49′ contained within a portion of the memoryfilm (502, 504, 506) within a memory opening 49.

The metallic material portion 13 can be formed by a single selectivedeposition step that deposits a single metallic material (such astungsten, ruthenium, or cobalt), or can be formed by a plurality ofdeposition steps that deposits a plurality of metallic materials havingdifferent compositions. For example, the metallic material portion 13can include a stack of a first metallic material (such as one oftungsten, ruthenium, and cobalt) and a second metallic material (such asanother of tungsten, ruthenium, and cobalt). For example, W or Ru may beused as the initial metal seed layer on the recessed silicon for aselectively deposited Co layer. This would have the advantage ofallowing better Co nucleation since Co selectively deposits more easilyon a metal seed layer compared to on an exposed silicon region.

Referring to FIG. 3F, an as-deposited semiconductor channel materiallayer 161 can be formed on the metallic material portion 13, and on thememory film (502, 504, 506). In one embodiment, the as-depositedsemiconductor channel material layer 161 can be formed by a singlesemiconductor material deposition process that is performed afterdeposition of the at least one metallic material. In one embodiment, theas-deposited semiconductor channel material layer 161 can be anamorphous semiconductor material layer, and can be intrinsic, or canhave a doping of the same or opposite conductivity type as thesemiconductor material layer 10. For example, the as-depositedsemiconductor channel material layer 161 can be an intrinsicsemiconductor material layer, or can have a p-type doping. In oneembodiment, the single semiconductor material deposition processcomprises an amorphous silicon layer deposition process. If thesemiconductor channel material layer 161 has p-type doping, then thesemiconductor material layer 10 may comprise a deposited or implantedp-type well which forms a horizontal portion of the semiconductorchannel between a source region and a vertical portion of thesemiconductor channel. Alternatively, the semiconductor material layer10 may comprise a deposited or implanted n-type well which forms ahorizontal source line which contacts a lower part of the verticalportion of the semiconductor channel.

The as-deposited semiconductor channel material layer 161 includes asemiconductor material such as at least one elemental semiconductormaterial, at least one III-V compound semiconductor material, at leastone II-VI compound semiconductor material, at least one organicsemiconductor material, or other semiconductor materials known in theart. In one embodiment, the as-deposited semiconductor channel materiallayer 161 includes amorphous silicon or polysilicon. The as-depositedsemiconductor channel material layer 161 can be formed by a conformaldeposition method such as low pressure chemical vapor deposition(LPCVD). The thickness of the as-deposited semiconductor channelmaterial layer 161 can be in a range from 2 nm to 30 nm, although lesserand greater thicknesses can also be employed. A cavity 49′ can bepresent in the volume of each memory opening 49 that is not filled withthe memory film (502, 504, 506), the metallic material portion 13, andthe as-deposited semiconductor channel material layer 161.

Referring to FIG. 3G, an anneal process can be performed at an elevatedtemperature to react the metallic material of the metallic materialportion 13 with the semiconductor material of the semiconductor materiallayer 10 and with the semiconductor material of the as-depositedsemiconductor channel material layer 161. A metal-semiconductor alloyregion 14 is formed by the reaction of the metallic material and thesemiconductor materials. The metal-semiconductor alloy region 14comprises a metal-semiconductor alloy, which is an alloy of a metal suchas tungsten, ruthenium, and/or cobalt and the semiconductor material ofthe semiconductor material layer 10 and the as-deposited semiconductorchannel material layer 161. In one embodiment, the metal-semiconductoralloy region 14 comprises a metal silicide of at least one metal elementin the metallic material portion 13. The as-deposited semiconductorchannel material layer 161 is converted into an annealed semiconductorchannel material layer 60L, which can be a polycrystalline semiconductormaterial layer. In one embodiment, the as-deposited semiconductorchannel material layer 161 can be an amorphous silicon layer, and themetal-semiconductor alloy region 14 can be formed by a rapid thermalanneal which reacts the at least one metallic material with a portion ofthe semiconductor material of the substrate and with the amorphoussilicon layer of the as-deposited semiconductor channel material layer161 to form the metal-semiconductor alloy region 14, and which convertsthe amorphous silicon layer to a polysilicon semiconductor channel.

Referring to FIG. 3H, a dielectric material can be deposited in thecavity 49′ to fill any remaining portion of the cavity 49′ within eachmemory opening 49. The dielectric material can comprise, for example,silicon oxide or organosilicate glass. The dielectric material can bedeposited by a conformal deposition method such as low pressure chemicalvapor deposition (LPCVD), or by a self-planarizing deposition processsuch as spin coating.

Horizontal portion of the deposited dielectric material, the annealedsemiconductor channel material layer 60L, and the memory film (502, 504,506) can be removed, for example, by a recess etch and/or chemicalmechanical planarization from above a horizontal plane including the topsurface of the insulating cap layer 70. Each remaining portion of thedeposited dielectric material, the annealed semiconductor channelmaterial layer 60L, and the memory film (502, 504, 506) is spatiallyconfined within the memory openings 49, and does not extend outside ofthe memory openings 49. Each remaining portion of the memory film 50 islocated within a respective memory opening 49, and includes a remainingportion of the at least one blocking dielectric layer 502, a remainingportion of the memory material layer 504, and a remaining portion of thetunneling dielectric layer 506. Each remaining portion of the annealedsemiconductor channel material layer 60L constitutes a verticalsemiconductor channel 60, and is located within a respective memory film50. Each remaining portion of the dielectric material constitutes adielectric core 62, and is located within a respective verticalsemiconductor channel 60.

In one embodiment, each vertical semiconductor channel 60 constitutes aportion of a semiconductor channel through which electrical current canflow when a vertical NAND device including the vertical semiconductorchannel 60 is turned on. A tunneling dielectric layer 506 is embeddedwithin the memory film 50, and laterally surrounds a portion of thevertical semiconductor channel 60. Each adjoining set of at least oneblocking dielectric layer 502, a memory material layer 504, and atunneling dielectric layer 506 collectively constitute a memory film 50,which can store electrical charges with a macroscopic retention time. Asused herein, a macroscopic retention time refers to a retention timesuitable for operation of a memory device as a permanent memory devicesuch as a retention time in excess of 24 hours. The first memory stackstructure comprises an adjoining set of a memory film and a verticalsemiconductor channel 60 within a memory opening 49.

Referring collectively to FIGS. 3G and 3H, formation of themetal-semiconductor alloy region 14 consumes the metallic material ofthe metallic material portion 13 and the semiconductor material of thesemiconductor material layer 10. Thus, the interface between themetal-semiconductor alloy region 14 and the semiconductor material layer10 is shifted outward with respect to the interface between the metallicmaterial portion 13 and the semiconductor material layer 10, which isvertically coincident with the sidewalls of the opening 49 a in thehorizontal portion 50 h of the memory film (502, 504, 506). In oneembodiment, a first portion 141 of the metal-semiconductor alloy region14 can extend through an opening in the horizontal portion 50 h of thememory film (502, 504, 506), and can have a first width w1. A secondportion 142 of the metal-semiconductor alloy region 14 can be locatedbelow the bottom surface of the memory film (502, 504, 506), and canhave a second width w2 such that the second width w2 is greater than thefirst width w1. A third portion 143 of the metal-semiconductor alloyregion 14 located above the horizontal portion 50 h of the memory film(502, 504, 506) can have a third width w3. In this case, the third widthw3 is greater than the first width w1.

For example, when the metallic material portion comprises ruthenium,then the rapid thermal anneal may have a temperature between 750 and950° C. with an optional spike above 950° C., such as to 1000 to 1100°C., for any suitable duration, such as 1 second to 30 minutes, forexample, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Ruthenium reacts with surroundingsilicon and forms ruthenium silicide (e.g., Ru₂Si₃) which expandshorizontally and vertically to increase the lateral and verticaldimensions of the silicide region 14 compared to those of the rutheniumlayer 13. The lateral expansion of the silicide region 14 moves itsvertical interface 14 a with layer 10 (or with the substratesemiconductor layer 9 if layer 10 is omitted) into the bulksemiconductor region which results in a better interface quality. Thus,as shown in FIG. 3G, the vertical interface 14 a between thesemiconductor material of the substrate (e.g., layer 9 or 10) and themetal-semiconductor alloy region 14 is laterally offset from a sidewallof the opening 49 a (shown in FIG. 3D) through a horizontal portion 50 hof the memory film 50. The metal-semiconductor alloy region 14 is atleast partially embedded within semiconductor material of the substrate(e.g., in layer 9 or 10). For example, the lower portion of region 14 isembedded in layer 10, which the upper portion of region 14 extends abovelayer 10 into opening 49 a or above portion 50 h, as shown in FIG. 3G.

Further, formation of the metal-semiconductor alloy region 14 consumesthe metallic material of the metallic material portion 13 and thesemiconductor material of the as-deposited semiconductor channelmaterial layer 161. Thus, the interface between the metal-semiconductoralloy region 14 and the annealed semiconductor channel material layer161 is shifted upward with respect to the interface between the metallicmaterial portion 13 and the as-deposited semiconductor channel materiallayer 161 due to consumption of the semiconductor material of theas-deposited semiconductor channel material layer 161 during the anneal.

In one embodiment, the periphery of the interface between themetal-semiconductor alloy region 14 and the vertical semiconductorchannel 60 can be located above the horizontal portion 50 h of thememory film 50, and can contact the sidewall of the memory film 50.Alternatively, the periphery of the interface between themetal-semiconductor alloy region 14 and the vertical semiconductorchannel 60 can contact a sidewall of the opening in the horizontalportion 50 h of the memory film 50. In one embodiment, the sidewall ofthe vertical semiconductor channel 60 can have a first thickness, whichis herein referred to as a vertical thickness vt, and a horizontalportion of the vertical semiconductor channel 60 can have a secondthickness, which is herein referred to as a horizontal thickness ht. Thehorizontal thickness ht can be less than the vertical thickness vt dueto consumption of the semiconductor material of the as-depositedsemiconductor channel material layer 161 during formation of themetal-semiconductor alloy region 14.

Referring to FIG. 3I, a first alternative embodiment of the firstexemplary memory stack structure can be derived from the structure ofFIG. 3E by selecting a thinner thickness for the metallic materialportion 13 and/or a thinner thickness for the as-deposited semiconductorchannel material layer 161. In this case, the annealed semiconductorchannel material layer 60L can have a convex bottom surface and aconcave top surface at a bottom portion contacting themetal-semiconductor alloy region 14 after the processing steps of FIG.3G.

Referring to FIG. 3J, the processing steps of FIG. 3H can be performedon the structure of FIG. 3I to form a vertical semiconductor channel 60,a memory film 50, and a dielectric core 62 within each memory opening49.

Referring to FIG. 4A, a second memory stack structure according to asecond embodiment of the present disclosure can be derived from thestructure of FIG. 3C by omitting the processing steps of FIG. 3D and byperforming the processing steps of FIG. 3E. At least one of thesacrificial dielectric material layer 507 and the sacrificialnon-conformal material layer 508 is present at the time of deposition ofa metallic material at the processing steps corresponding to theprocessing steps of FIG. 3E. This embodiment is advantageous because thedeposition of the metallic material may produce harmful byproducts thatwould attack the exposed tunnel dielectric layer, if the depositionhappened after the layers 507 and 508 were removed. For example, if themetallic material comprises tungsten deposited using WF₆ and H₂ sourcegases, then one of the byproducts of the reaction is HF which can easilyetch the exposed tunnel dielectric layer. However if the sacrificiallayers (e.g., at least layer 507) is present during deposition of themetallic material, the undesired etching of the tunnel dielectric layeris avoided. Furthermore, by retaining the sacrificial layer(s) 507 and508, fluorine containing CVD source gases which generate HF as aby-product during deposition may be used to deposit the metallicmaterial. The sacrificial layer(s) 507 and 508 may be removed afterdeposition of the metallic material.

A first metallic material portion 113 can be formed by a selectivedeposition process on the sidewalls and a horizontal surface of thesemiconductor material layer in the recess region 59 (which isillustrated in FIG. 3C), and is not deposited over the stack ofalternating layers (32, 42). The first metallic material portion 113 caninclude the same material as the metallic material portion 13 of thefirst embodiment (such as tungsten or cobalt) which can be selectivelydeposited on silicon versus the material (e.g., carbon) of thesacrificial layer(s) 507, 508, and can be formed by a same depositionmethod. In this case, the sacrificial dielectric material layer 507and/or the sacrificial non-conformal material layer 508 includes adielectric material, and the metallic material does not grow from thesurfaces of the sacrificial dielectric material layer 507 and/or thesacrificial non-conformal material layer 508.

The thickness of the deposited metallic material for the first metallicmaterial portion 113 can be less than the thickness of the metallicmaterial portion 13 of the first embodiment. In one embodiment, thethickness of the first metallic material portion 13, as measured on thesidewalls and the bottom surface of the recess region 59, can be in arange from 1 nm to 10 nm (for example, from 2 nm to 5 nm), althoughlesser and greater thicknesses can also be employed.

Referring to FIG. 4B, the sacrificial dielectric material layer 507and/or the sacrificial non-conformal material layer 508 can be removedselective to the memory film (502, 504, 506) and the first metallicmaterial portion 113, for example, by ashing.

Referring to FIG. 4C, a second metallic material portion 213 can beformed by another selective deposition process on the surfaces of thefirst metallic material portion 113, and is not deposited over the stackof alternating layers (32, 42). The second metallic material portion 213can include any material that can be employed as the metallic materialportion 13 of the first embodiment (such as tungsten, ruthenium, orcobalt), and can be formed by a same deposition method. Preferably thefirst metallic material portion 113 contains a different metallicmaterial (e.g., tungsten) than the second metallic material portion 213(e.g., ruthenium). The metallic material does not grow from the surfacesof the tunneling dielectric layer 506. In case the at least one blockingdielectric layer 502 and the memory material layer 504 includes adielectric material, the metallic material does not grow from surfacesof the memory film (502, 504, 506). In this case, the selectivelydeposited metallic materials can comprises layered stack of at least twometallic material portions having different compositions.

The thickness of the deposited metallic material for the second metallicmaterial portion 213 can be less than the thickness of the metallicmaterial portion 13 of the first embodiment. In one embodiment, thethickness of the second metallic material portion 213, as measured onthe sidewalls and the bottom surface of the first metallic materialportion 113, can be in a range from 1 nm to 15 nm (for example, from 2nm to 10 nm), although lesser and greater thicknesses can also beemployed. The combined thicknesses of the first and second metallicmaterial portions (113, 213) can be in a range from 2 nm to 20 nm (forexample, from 4 nm to 10 nm), although lesser and greater thicknessescan also be employed.

Referring to FIG. 4D, the processing steps of FIG. 3F are performed toform an as-deposited semiconductor channel material layer 161 in thesame manner as in the first embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4E, the processing steps of FIG. 3G are performed toform a metal-semiconductor alloy region 14 and the annealedsemiconductor channel material layer 60L in the same manner as in thefirst embodiment. The metal-semiconductor alloy region 14 can comprise ametal silicide of two or more metal elements.

Formation of the metal-semiconductor alloy region 14 consumes themetallic material of the metallic material portions (113, 213) and thesemiconductor material of the semiconductor material layer 10. Thus, theinterface between the metal-semiconductor alloy region 14 and thesemiconductor material layer 10 is shifted outward with respect to theinterface between the first metallic material portion 113 and thesemiconductor material layer 10, which is vertically coincident with thesidewalls of the openings in the horizontal portion 50 h of the memoryfilm (502, 504, 506). In one embodiment, a first portion of themetal-semiconductor alloy region 14 can extend through an opening in thehorizontal portion 50 h of the memory film (502, 504, 506), and can havea first width w1. A second portion of the metal-semiconductor alloyregion 14 can be located below the bottom surface of the memory film(502, 504, 506), and can have a second width w2 such that the secondwidth w2 is greater than the first width w1. A third portion of themetal-semiconductor alloy region 14 located above the horizontal portion50 h of the memory film (502, 504, 506) can have a third width w3. Inthis case, the third width w3 is greater than the first width w1.

Further, formation of the metal-semiconductor alloy region 14 consumesthe metallic material of the metallic material portions (113, 213) andthe semiconductor material of the as-deposited semiconductor channelmaterial layer 161. Thus, the interface between the metal-semiconductoralloy region 14 and the annealed semiconductor channel material layer161 is shifted upward with respect to the interface between the secondmetallic material portion 213 and the as-deposited semiconductor channelmaterial layer 161 due to consumption of the semiconductor material ofthe as-deposited semiconductor channel material layer 161 during theanneal.

Referring to FIG. 4F, the processing steps of FIG. 3H can be performedto form a memory stack structure including a memory film 50 and avertical semiconductor channel 60. A dielectric core 62 can be formedinside the vertical semiconductor channel 60. In one embodiment, theperiphery of the interface between the metal-semiconductor alloy region14 and the vertical semiconductor channel 60 can be located above thehorizontal portion 50 h of the memory film 50, and can contact thesidewall of the memory film 50. Alternatively, the periphery of theinterface between the metal-semiconductor alloy region 14 and thevertical semiconductor channel 60 can be below or can contact a sidewallof the opening in the horizontal portion 50 h of the memory film 50. Inone embodiment, the sidewall of the vertical semiconductor channel 60can have a first thickness, which is herein referred to as a verticalthickness vt, and a horizontal portion of the vertical semiconductorchannel 60 can have a second thickness, which is herein referred to as ahorizontal thickness ht. The horizontal thickness ht can be less thanthe vertical thickness vt due to consumption of the semiconductormaterial of the as-deposited semiconductor channel material layer 161during formation of the metal-semiconductor alloy region 14. Thevertical semiconductor channel 60 can be formed by a single depositionprocess, followed by an anneal.

Referring to FIG. 5A, a third exemplary memory stack structure can bederived from the exemplary structure of FIG. 4A by increasing thethickness of the first metallic material portion 113 such that thicknessof the first metallic material portion 113 is comparable to thethickness of the metallic material portion 13 of the first embodiment.In one embodiment, the thickness of the first metallic material portion113 can be in a range from 2 nm to 20 nm (for example, from 4 nm to 10nm), although lesser and greater thicknesses can also be employed.

Referring to FIG. 5B, the processing steps of FIG. 4B can be performedto remove the sacrificial dielectric material layer 507 and/or thesacrificial non-conformal material layer 508. The processing steps ofFIG. 4C are omitted, and the processing steps of FIG. 4D can beperformed to form the as-deposited semiconductor material layer 161directly on the physically exposed surfaces of the first metallicmaterial portion 113.

Subsequently, the processing steps of FIGS. 3G and 3H can be performedto form a same structure as the first exemplary memory stack structureillustrated in FIG. 3H.

In an alternative embodiment, the conversion of the metallic materialportion (13, 113, 213) to the alloy portion 14 may take place before thedeposition of the semiconductor channel material layer 161. In thisembodiment, the anneal (e.g., rapid thermal anneal) is performed priorto deposition of layer 161 and the anneal reacts the metallic materialportion (13, 113, 213) only with the semiconductor material of thesubstrate (e.g., with layer 9 or 10) to form the alloy portion 14. Thesemiconductor channel material layer 161 is then deposited on the alloyportion 14.

In this alternative embodiment, the metallic material portion (13, 113,213) may comprise one or more metal layers, such as titanium, cobalt,molybdenum, cobalt, nickel, ruthenium, tungsten, platinum, etc. layerwhich is deposited non-selectively into the opening 49′ on thesacrificial dielectric layer 507 and through opening 49 a on the exposedsemiconductor material portion of the substrate (e.g., on exposedportion of layer 10 in the recess 59). The metal layer is then annealedto react it with the semiconductor material to form the alloy portion(e.g., metal silicide) 14 where the metal layer contacted thesemiconductor material (e.g., silicon). The remaining unreacted portionof the metal layer located on the on the sacrificial dielectric layer507 is removed by selective etching which does not remove the alloyportion 14.

In this embodiment, the sacrificial non-conformal material layer 508 maybe removed prior to deposition of the metal layer. Alternatively, themetal layer may be deposited over layer 508. Layer 508 may then beremoved after formation of the silicide region 14 (e.g., by a lift offprocess to also lift off the remaining unreacted metal layer portion orby ashing after removing the remaining unreacted metal layer portion byselective etching).

Referring to FIG. 6, the memory stack structures formed in the memoryopenings 49 of the exemplary structure of FIG. 2 can be any of thefirst, second, and third exemplary memory stack structures oralternative embodiments thereof. Drain regions 63 can be formed byvertically recessing a top surface of the dielectric cores 62 by ananisotropic etch, and by depositing a doped semiconductor materialwithin each recessed region above the dielectric cores 62. The dopedsemiconductor material can be, for example, doped polysilicon. Excessportions of the deposited semiconductor material can be removed fromabove the top surface of the insulating cap layer 70, for example, bychemical mechanical planarization (CMP) or a recess etch to form thedrain regions 63. Within each memory opening, a lateral stack is formed,which includes, from outside to inside, a memory film 50 and a verticalsemiconductor channel 60.

The exemplary structure includes a semiconductor device, which comprisesa stack (32, 42) including an alternating plurality of material layers(e.g., the spacer material layers 42) and insulator layers 32 locatedover a semiconductor substrate (9, 10), and a memory opening extendingthrough the stack (32, 42). The semiconductor device further comprisesat least one blocking dielectric layer 502 vertically extending from atop surface of the insulating cap layer 70 and at least to the topsurface of the semiconductor substrate (9, 10).

Referring to FIG. 7, at least one dielectric cap layer 71 can beoptionally formed over the planarization dielectric layer 70. The atleast one dielectric cap layer 71 can include a dielectric material thatcan be employed as a stopping layer in a subsequent planarizationprocess. In one embodiment, the at least one dielectric cap layer 71 caninclude a dielectric metal oxide, silicon nitride, a nitrogen-containingorganosilicate glass, silicon oxynitride, and/or silicon oxide. Thethickness of the at least one dielectric cap layer 71 can be in a rangefrom 10 nm to 300 nm, although lesser and greater thicknesses can alsobe employed.

Optionally, a portion of the alternating stack (32, 42) can be removed,for example, by applying and patterning a photoresist layer with anopening and by transferring the pattern of the opening through thealternating stack (32, 42) employing an etch such as an anisotropicetch. An optional trench extending through the entire thickness of thealternating stack (32, 42) can be formed within an area that includesthe peripheral device region 200 and a portion of a contact region 300,which is adjacent to the device region 100 that includes an array ofmemory stack structures 55. Subsequently, the trench can be filled withan optional dielectric material such as silicon oxide. Excess portionsof the dielectric material can be removed from above the top surface ofthe at least one dielectric cap layer 71 by a planarization process suchas chemical mechanical planarization and/or a recess etch. The topsurfaces of the at least one dielectric cap layer 71 can be employed asa stopping surface during the planarization. The remaining dielectricmaterial in the trench constitutes a dielectric material portion 64.

A stepped cavity can be formed within the contact region 300, which canstraddle the dielectric material portion 64 and a portion of thealternating stack (32, 42). Alternatively, the dielectric materialportion 64 may be omitted and the stepped cavity 69 may be formeddirectly in the stack (32, 42). The stepped cavity can have variousstepped surfaces such that the horizontal cross-sectional shape of thestepped cavity changes in steps as a function of the vertical distancefrom the top surface of the substrate (9, 10). In one embodiment, thestepped cavity can be formed by repetitively performing a set ofprocessing steps. The set of processing steps can include, for example,an etch process of a first type that vertically increases the depth of acavity by one or more levels, and an etch process of a second type thatlaterally expands the area to be vertically etched in a subsequent etchprocess of the first type. As used herein, a “level” of a structureincluding alternating plurality is defined as the relative position of apair of a first material layer and a second material layer within thestructure.

The dielectric material portion 64 can have stepped surfaces afterformation of the stepped cavity, and a peripheral portion of thealternating stack (32, 42) can have stepped surfaces after formation ofthe stepped cavity. As used herein, “stepped surfaces” refer to a set ofsurfaces that include at least two horizontal surfaces and at least twovertical surfaces such that each horizontal surface is adjoined to afirst vertical surface that extends upward from a first edge of thehorizontal surface, and is adjoined to a second vertical surface thatextends downward from a second edge of the horizontal surface. A“stepped cavity” refers to a cavity having stepped surfaces.

A retro-stepped dielectric material portion 65 (i.e., an insulating fillmaterial portion) can be formed in the stepped cavity by deposition of adielectric material therein. A dielectric material such as silicon oxidecan be deposited in the stepped cavity. Excess portions of the depositeddielectric material can be removed from above the top surface of the atleast one dielectric cap layer 71, for example, by chemical mechanicalplanarization (CMP). The remaining portion of the deposited dielectricmaterial filling the stepped cavity constitutes the retro-steppeddielectric material portion 65. As used herein, a “retro-stepped”element refers to an element that has stepped surfaces and a horizontalcross-sectional area that increases monotonically as a function of avertical distance from a top surface of a substrate on which the elementis present. If silicon oxide is employed for the retro-steppeddielectric material portion 65, the silicon oxide of the retro-steppeddielectric material portion 65 may, or may not, be doped with dopantssuch as B, P, and/or F.

Referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, at least one dielectric support pillar 7Pmay be optionally formed through the retro-stepped dielectric materialportion 65 and/or through the alternating stack (32, 42). The plane A-A′in FIG. 8B corresponds to the plane of the vertical cross-sectional viewof FIG. 8A. In one embodiment, the at least one dielectric supportpillar 7P can be formed in the contact region 300, which is locatedadjacent to the device region 100. The at least one dielectric supportpillar 7P can be formed, for example, by forming an opening extendingthrough the retro-stepped dielectric material portion 65 and/or throughthe alternating stack (32, 42) and at least to the top surface of thesubstrate (9, 10), and by filling the opening with a dielectric materialthat is resistant to the etch chemistry to be employed to remove thespacer material layers 42.

In one embodiment, the at least one dielectric support pillar caninclude silicon oxide and/or a dielectric metal oxide such as aluminumoxide. In one embodiment, the portion of the dielectric material that isdeposited over the at least one dielectric cap layer 71 concurrentlywith deposition of the at least one dielectric support pillar 7P can bepresent over the at least one dielectric cap layer 71 as a dielectricpillar material layer 73. The dielectric pillar material layer 73 andthe at least one dielectric support pillar 7P can be formed as a singlecontiguous structure of integral construction, i.e., without anymaterial interface therebetween. In another embodiment, the portion ofthe dielectric material that is deposited over the at least onedielectric cap layer 71 concurrently with deposition of the at least onedielectric support pillar 7P can be removed, for example, by chemicalmechanical planarization or a recess etch. In this case, the dielectricpillar material layer 73 is not present, and the top surface of the atleast one dielectric cap layer 71 can be physically exposed.

A photoresist layer (not shown) can be applied over the alternatingstack (32, 42) and/or the retro-stepped dielectric material portion 65,and optionally over the and lithographically patterned to form at leastone backside contact trench 79 in an area in which formation of abackside contact via structure is desired. The pattern in thephotoresist layer can be transferred through the alternating stack (32,42) and/or the retro-stepped dielectric material portion 65 employing ananisotropic etch to form the at least one backside contact trench 79,which extends at least to the top surface of the substrate (9, 10). Inone embodiment, the at least one backside contact trench 79 can includea source contact opening in which a source contact via structure can besubsequently formed.

If desired, a source region (not shown) may be formed by implantation ofdopant atoms into a portion of the semiconductor material layer 10through the backside contact trench 79.

In one embodiment, the at least one backside contact trench 79 can beformed through the alternating stack (32, 42) by an anisotropic etchprocess. In one embodiment, the etch chemistry can employ ahydrofluorocarbon based etchant gas or a hydrochlorocarbon based etchantgas.

A source region 61 can be formed in each surface portion of thesemiconductor material layer 10 that underlies the at least one backsidecontact trench 79. Each source region 61 can be formed by implantingelectrical dopants of the same conductivity type as the doping type ofthe drain regions 63. In one embodiment, each source region 61 can beformed by ion implantation and/or plasma doping. In one embodiment, atleast the portion of the semiconductor material layer 10 underlying thememory stack structures 55 and the at least one backside contact trench79 can have a doping of a first conductivity type (which can be p-typeor n-type), and the at least one source region 61 and the drain regions63 can have a doping of a second conductivity type that is the oppositeof the first conductivity type. The vertical semiconductor channels 60can have a doping of the first conductivity type, or can be intrinsic.Alternatively, if layer 10 comprises a doped source line (e.g., ann-doped well), then region 61 may be omitted or it may comprise a sourceelectrode contact region (e.g., an n+ contact region in layer 10).

In one embodiment, the spacer material layers 42 can be sacrificialmaterial layers that can be removed selective to the first material ofthe insulator layers 32. For example, the spacer material layers 42 cancomprise silicon nitride that can be removed selective to the insulatorlayers 32 (which can comprise silicon oxide). An etchant thatselectively etches the second material of the spacer material layers 42with respect to the first material of the insulator layers 32 can beintroduced into the at least one backside contact trench 79, forexample, employing an etch process. Backside recesses 43 are formed involumes from which the spacer material layers 42 are removed. Theremoval of the second material of the spacer material layers 42 can beselective to the first material of the insulator layers 32, the materialof the at least one dielectric support pillar 7P, the material of theretro-stepped dielectric material portion 65, the semiconductor materialof the semiconductor material layer 10, and the material of theoutermost layer of the memory films 50. In one embodiment, the spacermaterial layers 42 can include silicon nitride, and the materials of theinsulator layers 32, the at least one dielectric support pillar 7P, andthe retro-stepped dielectric material portion 65 can be selected fromsilicon oxide and dielectric metal oxides. In another embodiment, thespacer material layers 42 can include a semiconductor material such aspolysilicon, and the materials of the insulator layers 32, the at leastone dielectric support pillar 7P, and the retro-stepped dielectricmaterial portion 65 can be selected from silicon oxide, silicon nitride,and dielectric metal oxides.

The etch process that removes the second material selective to the firstmaterial and the outermost layer of the memory films 50 can be a wetetch process employing a wet etch solution, or can be a gas phase (dry)etch process in which the etchant is introduced in a vapor phase intothe at least one backside contact trench 79. For example, if the spacermaterial layers 42 include silicon nitride, the etch process can be awet etch process in which the exemplary structure is immersed within awet etch tank including phosphoric acid, which etches silicon nitrideselective to silicon oxide, silicon, and various other materialsemployed in the art. The at least one dielectric support pillar 7P, theretro-stepped dielectric material portion 65, and the memory stackstructures 55 provide structural support while the backside recesses 43are present within volumes previously occupied by the spacer materiallayers 42.

Each backside recess 43 can be a laterally extending cavity having alateral dimension that is greater than the vertical extent of thecavity. In other words, the lateral dimension of each backside recess 43can be greater than the height of the backside recess 43. A plurality ofbackside recesses 43 can be formed in the volumes from which the secondmaterial of the spacer material layers 42 is removed. The memoryopenings in which the memory stack structures 55 are formed are hereinreferred to as front side recesses or front side cavities in contrastwith the backside recesses 43. In one embodiment, the device region 100comprises an array of monolithic three-dimensional NAND strings having aplurality of device levels disposed above the substrate (9, 10). In thiscase, each backside recess 43 can define a space for receiving arespective word line of the array of monolithic three-dimensional NANDstrings.

Each of the plurality of backside recesses 43 can extend substantiallyparallel to the top surface of the substrate (9, 10). A backside recess43 can be vertically bounded by a top surface of an underlying insulatorlayer 32 and a bottom surface of an overlying insulator layer 32. In oneembodiment, each backside recess 43 can have a uniform heightthroughout.

Optionally, a backside blocking dielectric layer (not shown) can beformed on the physically exposed surface portions of the memory film 50and surfaces of the insulator layers 32, the insulating cap layer 70,the dielectric cap layer 71, and the optional dielectric pillar materiallayer 73. As used herein, a “backside” blocking dielectric layer refersto a blocking dielectric layer located outside, or at a peripheralportion of, a memory opening. The backside blocking dielectric layer cancomprise a material that is different from, or the same as, the materialof the at least one blocking dielectric layer 502 (See FIG. 3B). Forexample, the backside blocking dielectric layer can comprise adielectric metal oxide (such as aluminum oxide), and the at least oneblocking dielectric layer 502 can comprise silicon oxide. The optionalbackside blocking dielectric layer can function, in conjunction with theat least one blocking dielectric layer 502, as an additional dielectricmaterial layer that blocks leakage of stored electrical charges tocontrol gate electrodes. In one embodiment, the backside blockingdielectric layer includes aluminum oxide. Alternatively, the at leastone blocking dielectric layer 502 may be omitted, and a backsideblocking dielectric layer may be the only dielectric material betweencharge storage elements and control gate electrodes.

Referring to FIG. 10, at least one conductive material can be depositedin the plurality of backside recesses 43, on sidewalls of the at leastone the backside contact trench 79, and over the top surface of thedielectric pillar material layer 73 (or the topmost layer of theexemplary structure in case the dielectric pillar material layer 73 isnot employed). As used herein, a conductive material refers to anelectrically conductive material. Each conductive material can bedeposited by a conformal deposition method, which can be, for example,chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD),electroless plating, electroplating, or a combination thereof. Eachconductive material can be a metal element, an intermetallic alloy of atleast two metal elements, a conductive nitride of at least one metalelement, a conductive metal oxide, a conductive doped semiconductormaterial, a conductive metal-semiconductor alloy such as a metalsilicide, alloys thereof, and combinations or stacks thereof.Non-limiting exemplary conductive materials that can be deposited in theplurality of backside recesses 43 include tungsten, tungsten nitride,titanium, titanium nitride, tantalum, and tantalum nitride. The at leastone conductive material is deposited directly on horizontal surfaces ofthe insulator layers 32 and on the outer sidewalls of the at least oneblocking dielectric layer 502.

In one embodiment, the at least one conductive material can comprise ametal such as tungsten and/or metal nitride. In one embodiment, the atleast one conductive material for filling the plurality of backsiderecesses 43 can be selected from tungsten and a combination of titaniumnitride and tungsten. In one embodiment, the at least one conductivematerial can be deposited by chemical vapor deposition. In oneembodiment, the at least one conductive material can include a firstconductive material comprising a conductive metallic compound and ametallic material comprising a metal element or an alloy of at least twometal elements.

Referring to FIG. 11, the deposited conductive material of thecontiguous conductive material layer 46L is etched back from thesidewalls of each backside contact trench 79 and from above thedielectric pillar material layer 73 (or the topmost layer of theexemplary structure in case the dielectric pillar material layer 73 isnot employed), for example, by an isotropic etch. Each remaining portionof the deposited conductive material in the backside recesses 43constitutes an electrically conductive layer 46. Each electricallyconductive layer 46 can be a conductive line structure.

Each electrically conductive layer 46 can function as a combination of aplurality of control gate electrodes and a word line electricallyconnecting, i.e., electrically shorting, the plurality of control gateelectrodes. The plurality of control gate electrodes within eachelectrically conductive layer 46 can include control gate electrodeslocated at the same level for the vertical memory devices including thememory stack structures 55. In other words, each electrically conductivelayer 46 can be a word line that functions as a common control gateelectrode for the plurality of vertical memory devices.

An insulating spacer 74 can be formed on the sidewalls of the backsidecontact trench 79 by deposition of a contiguous dielectric materiallayer and an anisotropic etch of its horizontal portions. Eachinsulating spacer 74 can be formed on a sidewall of the backside contacttrench 79 and on a periphery of a top surface of the semiconductorsubstrate (9, 10) underneath the backside contact trench 79. Theinsulating spacer 74 includes a dielectric material, which can comprise,for example, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, a dielectric metal oxide, adielectric metal oxynitride, or a combination thereof. The thickness ofthe insulating spacer 74, as measured at a bottom portion thereof, canbe in a range from 1 nm to 50 nm, although lesser and greaterthicknesses can also be employed. In one embodiment, the thickness ofthe insulating spacer 74 can be in a range from 3 nm to 10 nm

A photoresist layer (not shown) can be applied over the topmost layer ofthe exemplary structure (which can be, for example, the dielectricpillar material layer 73) and in the cavity laterally surrounded by theinsulating spacer 74, and is lithographically patterned to form variousopenings in a peripheral device region. The locations and the shapes ofthe various openings are selected to correspond to electrical nodes ofthe semiconductor devices in the peripheral device region 200 to beelectrically contacted by contact via structures. An anisotropic etch isperformed to etch through the various layers overlying the electricalnodes of the semiconductor devices. For example, at least one gate viacavity can be formed such that the bottom surface of each gate viacavity is a surface of a gate electrode (152, 154), and at least oneactive region via cavity can be formed such that the bottom surface ofeach active region via cavity is a surface of an active region 130. Inone embodiment, different types of via cavities can be formed separatelyemploying multiple combinations of photoresist layers and anisotropicetch processes. The photoresist layer can be subsequently removed, forexample, by ashing.

The same photoresist layer, or another photoresist layer (not shown)applied over the exemplary structure, can be lithographically patternedto form openings within the contact region 300 in which formation ofcontact via structures for the electrically conductive layers 46 isdesired. Control gate contact via cavities can be formed through theretro-stepped dielectric material portion 65 by transfer of the patternof the opening by an anisotropic etch. Each via cavity can verticallyextend to a top surface of a respective electrically conductive layer46.

In addition, the same photoresist layer, or another photoresist layer(not shown) applied over the exemplary structure, can belithographically patterned to form openings that overlie the array ofdrain regions 63 in the device region 100. Drain contact via cavitiescan be formed through the dielectric pillar material layer 73 and the atleast one dielectric cap layer 71.

The cavity laterally surrounded by the insulating spacer 74, the variousvia cavities in the peripheral device region 200, the control gatecontact via cavities in the contact region 300, and the drain contactvia cavities in the device region 100 can be filled with a conductivematerial to form various contact via structures. For example, a backsidecontact via structure 76 can be formed in the cavity surrounded by theinsulating spacer 74. Each backside contact via structure 76 can beformed on an inner sidewall of an insulating spacer 74. A gate contactvia structure 8G can be formed in each gate via cavity in the peripheraldevice region 200. An active region via structure 8A is formed in eachactive region via cavity in the peripheral device region 200. Draincontact via structures 88 can be formed in the drain contact viacavities in the device region 100. Further, control gate contact viastructures 8C can be formed within each contact via cavity that extendsto a top surface of the electrically conductive layers 46 in the contactregion 300.

The exemplary structure can include a monolithic three-dimensionalmemory device. The monolithic three-dimensional memory device comprisesa substrate (9, 10) including a semiconductor material layer 10comprising a semiconductor material; a stack of alternating layerscomprising insulator layers 32 and electrically conductive layers 46 andlocated over the semiconductor substrate (9, 10); a memory opening 49extending through the stack (32, 46); a memory film 50 located withinthe memory opening 49; and a metal-semiconductor alloy region 14 locatedwithin the semiconductor material layer 10 and contacting a verticalsemiconductor channel 60 located within the memory film 50. In oneembodiment, the vertical semiconductor channel 60 comprises a verticallyextending tubular portion having a vertical thickness vt (See FIG. 3Hand FIG. 4F), and a horizontal portion contacting a top surface of themetal-semiconductor alloy region 14 and having a horizontal thickness ht(See FIG. 3H and FIG. 4F); and the horizontal thickness ht is less thanthe vertical thickness vt.

In one embodiment, a side interface 14 a between the semiconductormaterial layer 10 (or layer 9 if layer 10 is omitted) and themetal-semiconductor alloy region 14 can be substantially vertical, andcan be laterally offset from a sidewall of an opening through ahorizontal portion 50 h (See FIG. 3G and FIG. 3E) of the memory film 50.The metal-semiconductor alloy region 14 comprises an alloy of thesemiconductor material and at least one metal element. The at least onemetal element can consist of a single metal element, or can comprise aplurality of metal elements. In one embodiment, the metal-semiconductoralloy region 14 can comprise a variable composition of a first metalelement (e.g., W) and a different second metal element (e.g., Ru) thatare among the plurality of metal elements. In one embodiment, describedabove with respect to FIGS. 4A-4F, the atomic concentration of the firstmetal element decreases with a distance from an interface between thesemiconductor material layer 10 and the metal-semiconductor alloy region14; and the atomic concentration of the second, different metal elementincreases with the distance from the interface between the semiconductormaterial layer 10 and the metal-semiconductor alloy region 14. In oneembodiment, the metal-semiconductor alloy region 14 can comprise a metalsilicide of the at least one metal element (or two different silicides,such as tungsten silicide and ruthenium silicide).

In one embodiment, the semiconductor substrate (9, 10) can comprise asilicon substrate, and the vertical NAND memory device can comprise anarray of monolithic three-dimensional NAND strings over the siliconsubstrate. At least one memory cell in the first device level of thearray of monolithic three-dimensional NAND strings can be located overanother memory cell in the second device level of the array ofmonolithic three-dimensional NAND strings. The silicon substrate cancontain an integrated circuit comprising a driver circuit for the memorydevice located thereon.

In one embodiment, the array can comprise a plurality of semiconductorchannels, which comprise the combination of a surface portion of thesemiconductor material layer 10 between the source region 61 and thevertical semiconductor channels 60. At least one end portion of each ofthe plurality of vertical semiconductor channels, i.e., the verticalsemiconductor channels 60, extends substantially perpendicular to a topsurface of the semiconductor substrate (9, 10). A plurality of chargestorage elements is provided within each memory film 50. Each chargestorage element can be located adjacent to a respective one of theplurality of vertical semiconductor channels. A plurality of controlgate electrodes, as embodied as electrically conductive layers 46, isprovided. Each control gate electrode can have a strip shape extendingsubstantially parallel to the top surface of the semiconductor substrate(9, 10). In one embodiment, the plurality of control gate electrodescomprises at least a first control gate electrode located in the firstdevice level and a second control gate electrode located in the seconddevice level.

While the present disclosure is described employing an embodiment inwhich a metal-semiconductor alloy region 14 is at least partiallyembedded in, and contacts, a semiconductor material of a substrate asembodied in a semiconductor material layer 10 located over a substratesemiconductor layer 9 (such as a silicon wafer), the structure of themethods of the present disclosure can be practiced in any other suitableconfiguration. For example, the semiconductor material of the substratemay comprise at least one of: (i) an upper portion of a semiconductorwafer (e.g., of a silicon wafer) 9, (ii) a semiconductor material layer10 located over an upper portion of a non-semiconductor substrate (e.g.,forming a silicon on insulator substrate), (iii) a doped semiconductorwell (e.g., p-well) 10 located in a semiconductor wafer 9, (iv) a dopedsemiconductor well (e.g., p-well) located in a semiconductor materiallayer 10 over an upper portion of a semiconductor wafer 9 or over anupper portion of a non-semiconductor substrate, (v) a dopedsemiconductor source line (e.g., n-well) 10 located in an upper portionof a semiconductor wafer 9, or (vi) a doped semiconductor source line(e.g., n-well) located in a semiconductor material layer 10 located overan upper portion of a semiconductor wafer or over an upper portion of anon-semiconductor substrate.

The semiconductor channel of the present disclosure can provide a lowerresistance compared to prior art semiconductor channels known in theart. Specifically, the metal-semiconductor alloy region 14 reducesinterfacial resistance between a horizontal portion of a semiconductorchannel (e.g., when a portion of the semiconductor material layer 10comprises a p-well between a source region 61 and themetal-semiconductor alloy region 14) and the vertical semiconductorchannel 60, or between the doped semiconductor source line (e.g., when aportion of the semiconductor material layer 10 comprises an n-wellsource line between a source region 61 and the metal-semiconductor alloyregion 14) and the vertical semiconductor channel 60.

Furthermore, the vertical semiconductor channel 60 can be formed by asingle semiconductor material deposition process without employing astack of two semiconductor material layers as known in the art. Thevertical semiconductor channel 60, which is derived from a singlesemiconductor material layer without any vertical interface within it,can have a large average grain size, less grain boundaries, lessscattering during charge carrier transport, and a highertransconductance to provide a greater on-current when the verticaltransistor string is turned on. Therefore, the single layer channelavoids the presence of an interface between two silicon channel layerswhich is a source of large number of defects which limits channelmobility. Thus, the single layer channel has a higher mobility andtherefore may be made sufficiently thin (e.g., 10 nm or less thickness,such as 8-9 nm) to leave room in the memory opening for other layerswithout compromising the cell current.

Although the foregoing refers to particular preferred embodiments, itwill be understood that the disclosure is not so limited. It will occurto those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications may bemade to the disclosed embodiments and that such modifications areintended to be within the scope of the disclosure. Where an embodimentemploying a particular structure and/or configuration is illustrated inthe present disclosure, it is understood that the present disclosure maybe practiced with any other compatible structures and/or configurationsthat are functionally equivalent provided that such substitutions arenot explicitly forbidden or otherwise known to be impossible to one ofordinary skill in the art. All of the publications, patent applicationsand patents cited herein are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

1. A monolithic three-dimensional memory device, comprising: a substrateincluding a semiconductor material; a stack of alternating layerscomprising insulator layers and electrically conductive layers locatedover the semiconductor material of the substrate; a memory openingextending through the stack; a semiconductor channel located within thememory opening; a memory film located within the memory opening; and ametal-semiconductor alloy region which is located between and contactsthe semiconductor material of the substrate and the semiconductorchannel, wherein: the metal-semiconductor alloy region comprises analloy of the semiconductor material and at least one metal element theat least one metal element comprises a plurality of metal elements; themetal-semiconductor alloy region comprises a variable composition of afirst metal element and a second metal element that are among theplurality of metal elements; a concentration of the first metal elementdecreases with a distance from an interface between the semiconductormaterial of the substrate and the metal-semiconductor alloy region; anda concentration of the second metal element increases with the distancefrom the interface between the semiconductor material of the substrateand the metal-semiconductor alloy region.
 2. The monolithicthree-dimensional memory device of claim 1, wherein: the semiconductorchannel comprises a vertically extending tubular portion located withinthe memory film, and a horizontal portion having a horizontal thicknessand contacting a top surface of the metal-semiconductor alloy region;and the semiconductor material of the substrate comprises at least oneof: an upper portion of a semiconductor wafer; a semiconductor materiallayer located over an upper portion of the semiconductor wafer or overan upper portion of a non-semiconductor substrate; a doped semiconductorwell in the semiconductor wafer or in the semiconductor material layer;or a doped semiconductor source line located in the semiconductor waferor in the semiconductor material layer.
 3. The monolithicthree-dimensional memory device of claim 1, wherein: a verticalinterface between the semiconductor material of the substrate and themetal-semiconductor alloy region is laterally offset from a sidewall ofan opening through a horizontal portion of the memory film; and themetal-semiconductor alloy region is at least partially embedded withinsemiconductor material of the substrate.
 4. (canceled)
 5. The monolithicthree-dimensional memory device of claim 1, wherein the at least onemetal element is selected from cobalt, ruthenium, and tungsten, thesemiconductor material comprises silicon, and the metal-semiconductoralloy region comprises a metal silicide of the at least one metalelement. 6-7. (canceled)
 8. The monolithic three-dimensional memorydevice of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of an interface betweenthe metal-semiconductor alloy region and the semiconductor channel islocated above a bottom surface of the memory film.
 9. The monolithicthree-dimensional memory device of claim 8, wherein: a first portion ofthe metal-semiconductor alloy region extending through an opening in ahorizontal portion of the memory film has a first width; a secondportion of the metal-semiconductor alloy region located below the bottomsurface of the memory film has a second width; and the second width isgreater than the first width.
 10. The monolithic three-dimensionalmemory device of claim 9, wherein a periphery of the interface betweenthe metal-semiconductor alloy region and the semiconductor channeleither contacts a sidewall of the opening in the horizontal portion ofthe memory film or is located above the horizontal portion of the memoryfilm.
 11. The monolithic three-dimensional memory device of claim 1,wherein: the monolithic three-dimensional memory device is a verticalNAND memory device; the electrically conductive layers comprise, or areelectrically connected to, a respective word line of the vertical NANDmemory device; the substrate comprises a silicon substrate; the verticalNAND memory device comprises an array of monolithic three-dimensionalNAND strings over the silicon substrate; at least one memory cell in thefirst device level of the three-dimensional array of NAND strings islocated over another memory cell in the second device level of thethree-dimensional array of NAND strings; the silicon substrate containsan integrated circuit comprising a driver circuit for the memory devicelocated thereon; and the three-dimensional array of NAND stringscomprises: a plurality of semiconductor channels, wherein at least oneend portion of each of the plurality of semiconductor channels includesa semiconductor channel that extends substantially perpendicular to atop surface of the substrate; and a plurality of charge storageelements, each charge storage element located adjacent to a respectiveone of the plurality of semiconductor channels.
 12. A method ofmanufacturing a three-dimensional memory device, comprising: forming astack of alternating layers comprising first material layers and secondmaterial layers over a substrate that includes a semiconductor material;forming a memory opening extending through the stack; forming a memoryfilm in the memory opening; forming at least one metallic material onthe semiconductor material of the substrate; forming a semiconductorchannel in the memory opening; and forming a metal-semiconductor alloyregion by reacting the at least one metallic material with a portion ofthe semiconductor material of the substrate, wherein: themetal-semiconductor alloy region is formed between, and contacts, thesemiconductor material of the substrate and the semiconductor channel;the first material layers comprise insulating layers; the secondmaterial layers are replaced with electrically conductive layers to forma stack of alternating layers comprising the insulating layers and theelectrically conductive layers; the metal-semiconductor alloy regioncomprises an alloy of the semiconductor material and at least one metalelement the at least one metal element comprises a plurality of metalelements; the metal-semiconductor alloy region comprises a variablecomposition of a first metal element and a second metal element that areamong the plurality of metal elements; a concentration of the firstmetal element decreases with a distance from an interface between thesemiconductor material of the substrate and the metal-semiconductoralloy region; and a concentration of the second metal element increaseswith the distance from the interface between the semiconductor materialof the substrate and the metal-semiconductor alloy region.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, further comprising recessing a portion of thesemiconductor material of the substrate underneath the memory opening toform a recess region after forming the memory film.
 14. The method ofclaim 13, wherein: forming the at least one metallic material comprisesselectively depositing at least one metallic material on thesemiconductor material of the substrate in the recess region whilepreventing depositing the at least one metallic material over the stack;and forming the semiconductor channel comprises a single semiconductormaterial deposition process that is performed after forming the recessregion and before forming the metal-semiconductor alloy region.
 15. Themethod of claim 14, wherein: the single semiconductor materialdeposition process comprises an amorphous silicon layer depositionprocess; and forming the metal-semiconductor alloy region comprises arapid thermal anneal which reacts the at least one metallic materialwith a portion of the semiconductor material of the substrate and withthe amorphous silicon layer to form the metal semiconductor alloy regionwhich comprises a silicide region, and which converts the amorphoussilicon layer to a polysilicon semiconductor channel.
 16. The method ofclaim 14, wherein forming the memory film in the memory openingcomprises forming a layer stack including at least a memory materiallayer and a tunneling dielectric layer in the memory opening.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, further comprising: forming a sacrificial dielectricmaterial layer on a physically exposed surface of the tunnelingdielectric layer; forming a sacrificial non-conformal material layerover the stack of alternating layers; and anisotropically etching ahorizontal bottom portion of the layer stack at a bottom portion of thememory opening and the portion of the semiconductor material of thesubstrate underneath the memory opening employing the sacrificialnon-conformal material layer as an etch mask to form the recess region.18. The method of claim 17, further comprising removing the sacrificialdielectric material layer and the sacrificial non-conformal materiallayer prior to forming the at least one metallic material and after thestep of anisotropically etching.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein:the at least one metallic material does not grow from a physicallyexposed surface of the tunneling dielectric layer during selectivedeposition of the at least one metallic material; and the sacrificialnon-conformal material layer and the sacrificial dielectric layercomprise carbon layers.
 20. The method of claim 17, further comprisingremoving the sacrificial dielectric material layer and the sacrificialnon-conformal material layer after forming the at least one metallicmaterial and after the step of anisotropically etching.
 21. The methodof claim 20, wherein: the at least one metallic material does not growfrom the sacrificial non-conformal material layer and the sacrificialdielectric layer during selective deposition of the at least onemetallic material; and the sacrificial non-conformal material layer andthe sacrificial dielectric layer comprise carbon.
 22. The method ofclaim 21, further comprising: forming a second metallic material on theat least one metallic material after removing the sacrificial dielectricmaterial layer and the sacrificial non-conformal material layer, andbefore forming the semiconductor channel; and forming ametal-semiconductor alloy region by reacting the at least one metallicmaterial with the portion of the semiconductor material of the substrateand reacting the second metallic material with the semiconductorchannel; wherein the second metallic material is different from the atleast one metallic material.
 23. The method of claim 17, wherein: thesacrificial dielectric material layer comprises a material selected fromamorphous carbon and diamond-like carbon (DLC); and forming thesemiconductor channel on the memory film occurs after removing thesacrificial dielectric material layer.
 24. The method of claim 12,wherein: the at least one metallic material comprises one or more metalelements selected from cobalt, ruthenium, and tungsten; thesemiconductor material comprises silicon; the metal-semiconductor alloyregion comprises a metal silicide of the at least one metal element; andthe semiconductor material of the substrate comprises at least one of anupper portion of a semiconductor wafer, a semiconductor material layerlocated over an upper portion of the semiconductor wafer or over anupper portion of a non-semiconductor substrate, a doped semiconductorwell in the semiconductor wafer or in the semiconductor material layer,or a doped semiconductor source line located in the semiconductor waferor in the semiconductor material layer.
 25. The method of claim 12,wherein: the monolithic three-dimensional memory device structurecomprises a vertical NAND memory device; the electrically conductivelayers comprise, or are electrically connected to, a respective wordline of the vertical NAND memory device; the substrate comprises asilicon substrate; the vertical NAND memory device comprises an array ofmonolithic three-dimensional NAND strings over the silicon substrate; atleast one memory cell in the first device level of the three-dimensionalarray of NAND strings is located over another memory cell in the seconddevice level of the three-dimensional array of NAND strings; the siliconsubstrate contains an integrated circuit comprising a driver circuit forthe memory device located thereon; and the array of monolithicthree-dimensional NAND strings comprises: a plurality of semiconductorchannels, wherein at least one end portion of each of the plurality ofsemiconductor channels includes a semiconductor channel that extendssubstantially perpendicular to a top surface of the substrate; and aplurality of charge storage elements, each charge storage elementlocated adjacent to a respective one of the plurality of semiconductorchannels.